In his first foray into psychology, Malcolm Gladwell approaches David and Goliath as a persuasive book designed to convince the reader to lean into adversity. He begins the book with the claim that very frequently the unexpected occurs where, against all odds, the underdog comes out ahead. He then proceeds to recount story after story where this has been true. Including numerous charts, social science research, and statistics, Gladwell presents all the data he can to back up these stories as more than exception.
Gladwell describes many case studies on specific individuals who overcame enormous odds to achieve success. One such many was David Boies, a wildly successful lawyer who overcame dyslexia as a child. Gladwell claims that the dyslexia was just the obstacle Boies needed to learn how to rise above adversity in life, which caused him to become the accomplished person he is today. Emil J. Freireich is an oncologist who survived losing a parent at a young age, an event which forced him to take responsibility for himself early on in life.
Finally, the most famous example is David vs. Goliath the giant. A young Hebrew boy brings his brothers food while they are encamped with the Hebrew army outside the Philistine camp. When David hears Goliath, the Philistine's champion and a man of massive stature, taunting the Hebrews and their god, he goes to the king and offers to fight him. David faces off against Goliath wearing no armor and carrying only a few rocks and a slingshot, but his first shot hits the giant in the forehead and kills him. David wins, defying everyone's expectations. As the book's title suggests, Gladwell uses this story to illustrate how overcoming seemingly impossible challenges is what makes a person successful. It's all just attitude.
